Picture That
by ReMeDy10
Summary: Jou gets a job at a local shoe store, and has been able to keep it a secret since the beginning of his employment. What happens when Seto Kaiba needs shoes and stumbles upon Jou's workplace? Rating based on paranoia.
1. Heels and Deals

A/N: This would be my second fic. (Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last story. It made me really happy. People actually READ it!) I've written like a million stories but I hate revising them, so I decided to just post one before I get eaten by a rabid squirrel or something ridiculous like that. yeahhh. Anyhoo. I don't really know what to say so here's the completely unnecessary disclaimer and warnings.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. DUH!  
  
Warnings: Shounen- Ai. Seto/Joey. Swearing. Mild child abuse, mostly just verbal abuse. Uhh... weirdness. This first chapter also kinda sucks.  
  
Chapter 1: Heels and Deals  
  
Jou mindlessly head-banged to the music blaring from his headphones as he restocked the shelves. Shoeboxes lined the entire perimeter of the store wall, except for the little corner he was working at. An ominous tower of brightly colored containers strangled his vision, but he was too used to the boring task to care. He had, after all, been working at the shoe store for nearly three months.  
  
Normally he would have refused such a degrading job at the mere suggestion, but at his father's drunken shouts, he reluctantly applied to "Heels and Deals" (as the shop was called), and was accepted as a part-time employee. His only prayer was that none of his friends would find him out, simply for the fact that their inquisitive nature would pull out the real reason he got the job; and that, of course, was that he needed to help out with the rent for his apartment.  
  
More than once Jou's dad had requested him to obtain some sort of income, and did so quite civilly during his more sober moods. However, Jou politely refused, using his age disadvantage as an excuse. Of course, he knew that most of the shops nearby would have no problem dishing out a few bucks to a minor every week, so long as they did their work. Thus, Mr. Jounouchi had finally resorted to screaming at the boy until he complied.  
  
Jou was dragged out of his reminiscing at an impatient tapping on his left shoulder. He whirled his head around to stare at the narrowed eyes of the store manager, Miss Weidsafashion, or Miss Needs-Some-Action as Jou had dubbed her during one of her most memorable tantrums. He saw her thin lips move, forming words that his covered ears could not make out. After at least ten seconds of irritated scolding, she realized Jou still bore a pair of cheap headphones around his head, but resumed her bickering after rolling her eyes and tearing them off.  
  
"Honestly, young man. How do you expect to attract any customers when you're obnoxious rock and roll or whatever is making them deaf! And look, you're not even putting these shoes in the right order. You put the largest sizes at the bottom, not the top. I--"  
  
Miss Weidsafashion continued her lecture, while Jou silently mused that only last week she had told him just the opposite. "The big shoes go up top, Jou," she had gently reminded, or at least as gently as she was capable of.  
  
"--suppose it doesn't matter. You're off for tonight anyway. You'll just have to redo all of this on your next shift. I only wanted to give you the store keys for tomorrow."  
  
At the last statement Jou's attention started. "What? Why?"  
  
She let a sigh escape before shaking her head exhaustedly and massaging her temples, as if to force out the arrival of a new headache. "Jou, I've been telling you all week. I'm going to visit my daughter tomorrow. I won't be back until Wednesday. You already agreed to take charge of the store until then. You should really start paying attention."  
  
Jou vaguely recalled an incident a few days before when she had been talking to him. He hadn't really been listening, but nodded his head and grunted in response every few seconds to keep up the charade that he was.  
  
"I don't want to do that! What if I mess up?"  
  
Her mouth contracted into an expression that slightly resembled a pout, and Jou realized with a sort of grim pride that she must like him more than she let on, as old ladies sometimes do.  
  
Jou took Miss Weidsafashion's silence as an indication that he couldn't avoid the responsibility after he had already agreed. He inwardly groaned before accepting the keys on his way out the door.  
  
"Oh, don't be so grumpy, Jou," she called after him. "You'll get a bonus in your check on Friday."  
  
At this Jou's satisfaction could not be suppressed, and a grin appeared on his face at the prospect of bringing home a few extra dollars. Maybe he could use some towards a new charcoal set for his sketchbook, or some dueling cards. His father didn't mind what he did with his money as long as he received enough for half the rent at the end of the month.  
  
"Bye, Miss Weidsafashion," replied Jou dutifully as he shut the door behind him, listening to the little bell overhead ring lightly to announce his exit.  
  
***  
  
Jou shuddered against the wind, pulling his jacket as close to his body as possible in hopes of evading the cold. It was no use, however, and he eventually gave up all hope of ever warming up. The walk home from Heels and Deals was never completely tolerable, anyway. He busied himself with his surroundings instead, so that at least he might carry his thoughts away from the freezing temperatures.  
  
His amber gaze drifted up towards the sky, and through the dance of golden bangs around his forehead he was able to see the dim twinkle of a few stars. The moon looked dusty under a thin blanket of clouds, but they were slowly whisked away to reveal a gorgeous silvery disc. The lunar phenomenon that occurred every month seemed to capture his breath every time he saw it, and he made a note to draw the full moon when he got home, exactly as it appeared to him then.  
  
Before long, he reached the walkway to his apartment building, and made a final sprint to the door. He clawed deep down into the pocket of his jeans to grab his key, before jamming it in the lock and dashing inside. Jou trudged up the stairs, allowing the warmth to envelope him, until he reached the third floor and opened another door.  
  
"Hey, Dad," he greeted the man on his sofa, as he dropped the keys on the coffee table.  
  
"Hey. How was work?" Jou's father barely looked up from the television. In one hand he held a small beer can, and the other hand grasped firmly to a black remote control. He scanned through the channels and took a few sips of his drink every few seconds while Jou spoke.  
  
"It was okay, I guess. I'm in charge of the store for a few days. That'll be weird but what can you do about it? I'll be getting a few extra bucks, anyway."  
  
Jou's old man perked up at the mention of more money, but then cast his glance downwards as if it suddenly dawned on him that he couldn't take so much from his son. He seemed to berate himself for a few moments before hesitantly looking up to Jou and speaking.  
  
"Look, son. I'm sorry about the other night. You know how I get after a tough day at work. You didn't get hurt too badly, right?"  
  
Jou remembered how his dad had come home from the bar to find he hadn't finished his homework. They argued for a while, loudly enough for the neighbors to hear, before the discussion ended with the drunk's fist crashing into his child's face.  
  
"Nah, it's fine, Dad. Don't worry about it." Those were the last words Jou said to his father before he slipped into his bedroom at the end of the hallway.  
  
As soon as he knew the entrance to his room was safely shut, he walked over to his bed and pulled out a notebook from underneath it. He flipped open to a random page with the intention of finding a blank one to draw the moon on, but got sidetracked with all his other drawings. The sketch his vision was met with was one of Seto Kaiba, a boy who seemed to dominate almost all of his pictures.  
  
Jou lightly traced the outline of Seto's face with his thumb, admiring his work. It was true that he despised every morsel of Kaiba's being, but he was nice to draw. In fact, he seemed to be Jou's favorite subject. Just because he hated Kaiba, didn't mean he had to deny himself the privilege of looking at him. His jaw line was set perfectly to complement his cold, angular features, while his eyes supplied a point of concentration. Kaiba's mysterious blue eyes were what all of his good looks were based around. In all honesty, Seto Kaiba was the most perfect human he had ever seen.  
  
"Too bad he's an asshole," Jou spat while slamming his book shut. He decided not to draw anything that night and instead crept into bed.  
  
After he shut off his light and settled himself into his pillow, Jou allowed himself to speak aloud once more before he drifted off to sleep.  
  
"You are an asshole"  
  
It almost sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.  
  
This first chapter was just to be regarded as an introductory thing. The next chapters will be longer, I promise! The REAL story will start next chapter, and will contain actual Seto/Jou interaction.Please R+R. it makes me happy and more motivated! Sorry if it's OOC or even AU, but aren't all of these stories?  
  
R&R!!!!!!! 


	2. Seto Thoughts

I'm back with Chapter 2! Sorry about not updating sooner, but thanks to one of my reviewers (Doom), I got off my lazy ass and made it. Everyone who reviewed: thanks for all the input and suggestions. I appreciate it.  
  
BTW: instead of Italics (used for emphasis on a word) I'm going to do the stars. *word* That's just because my computer can only do .doc formatting and I can't upload html. Or maybe I'm just a dumbass. Either way...  
  
Chapter 2: Seto-Thoughts  
  
Jou whistled absent-mindedly as he strolled down the sidewalk, hands burrowed deep in his pockets. That morning he had woken up to the sound of his father vomiting violently in the toilet, and had been wandering the streets ever since. The sky overhead was dull with a vast blanket of gray clouds, and he struggled to fight off the dark mood of it from dampening his spirits. He checked his watch again for the fourth time that day, and the digital clock displayed the time of 8:43 A.M. Heels and Deals opened at nine, so he'd have to hurry to unlock the doors.  
  
As he continued down the road, he noticed a diner across the street where one Mokuba Kaiba was exiting. Surely, his elder brother wasn't too far off, and the thought made Jou's breath hitch for a moment; a reaction that he would later identify as a result from the loathing he felt towards Seto. He quickened his pace through the streets of domino, avoiding Mokuba's gaze, lest the boy call him over. For some reason, he felt as though he'd turn into a bubbling mess in Seto's presence today, and there was no way in hell he was willing to provoke more insults from the ever-bastardized millionaire.  
  
Within ten minutes, Jou found himself flipping the "closed" sign on the entrance of the shoe store to "open." The one other girl that was supposed to be working called in sick for the day, seeing as how business was usually slow on Sundays, so he was left to his own silence. He settled himself at the register, trying to busy himself by counting the week's income, but soon found his thoughts wandering back to his earlier Kaiba siting.  
  
Why on earth was Seto Kaiba, successful president and CEO of a huge corporation, going to a mediocre and, frankly, a very unsanitary diner for breakfast? Perhaps the outing was a glimpse into his more humane-side—a clue into his elegant yet icy demeanor. Was it possible that even rich jerks enjoyed going out to eat at places that were less than luxurious? Suddenly, Jou wondered what it would be like to have Seto take *him* out to eat, and maybe even have a nice conversation with him!  
  
Though he was all alone, Jou's face blazed a brilliant shade of ruby, and he murmured a barely audible "I hate you" through clenched teeth before redirecting his thoughts to some form of store maintenance. He remembered that he needed to rearrange some shoes, so he set off from his station at the checkout counter to do so.  
  
Jou was so engaged in blocking out any mental musings about Kaiba and restocking an entire hoard of black leather boots that he didn't notice the arrival of a new customer. It wasn't until he mumbled his typical "you're an asshole" to shield himself from the onslaught of Seto- thoughts and received a response that he became aware of another presence in the store with him.  
  
"I know you're an asshole, but could I get some service here, puppy?"  
  
Jou leapt up at least three feet in the air before turning around to gape at Seto Kaiba. His eyes were wide with surprise, but before long an expression of annoyance settled on his tanned face.  
  
"Kaiba! What the hell are you doing here?!"  
  
Obviously, that wasn't the most intelligent of accusatory questions, seeing as how they were standing in the middle of a store that was accessible by anyone, but Jou, unfortunately, had not caught the sentence before it sounded off his tongue.  
  
Seto chuckled lowly, a sinister smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth while a mischievous glint shone in his deep, penetrating orbs. "Coming to visit you, of course. It wouldn't do for a master to let his dog wander all around without any supervision, now, would it?"  
  
Holy shit! Was Kaiba being playful? No, he must have been messing with his head. Jou could not help the primitive growl that escaped his throat, and spat out a quick "fuck you"; venom laced into every syllable.  
  
Kaiba shed his uncharacteristic childishness to roll his eyes, and Jou found himself almost missing it. "I'm here to get shoes for Mokuba. I didn't know you worked here."  
  
"Tell anyone and you die. And don't you dare try to laugh at me for it." Jou added another desperate and somewhat whiny "it's not funny!" when Seto started to snicker a bit.  
  
"I'd like to see you try, mutt." It was more of a dare than anything else, but Kaiba immediately erased any possibility of a physical confrontation when he started talking again. "I won't tell anyone, anyway. But I hardly see why you'd want to keep it a secret. At least your working for what you're getting, now."  
  
Jou was somewhat stunned, but also strangely elated, at the string of words that slightly resembled a compliment that had just been thrown his way. A dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks for what seemed to be for no apparent reason, and he struggled to steer the conversation elsewhere. "So, where is the little squirt, anyway?"  
  
"Mokuba? He's staying home sick. I brought him out for breakfast this morning and he ate too many pancakes. Little kid doesn't know when to stop." Seto had obviously been unaffected by the reference to his little brother as a 'squirt', but the thing that most shocked Jou was that he was actually having a civilized discussion with his supposed enemy. He tried, and failed miserably, at stopping his mind from spitting out random comments on how nice Seto looked or how cool he was when he wasn't being a jerk.  
  
Naturally, Jou couldn't help the mantra that had become the surest symptom of denial from pouring past his lips, and mumbled "you're an asshole," once again.  
  
It was evident that Seto found this comment to be extremely random and uncalled-for, but he recovered after a moment and spoke. "Well, gee, thanks, puppy. Nice to know I'm appreciated. Anyway, I need to get him some shoes so could you help me out? Otherwise I'll have to talk to your manager."  
  
"I was planning on helping you, dick-face, but just so you know: I *am* the manager until Wednesday, so there's really nothing you can do if I don't help you."  
  
"Who in hell let you be manager? Do they know who you are?"  
  
"Of course they do! I'm responsible. You don't see anyone else here, do you? I'm running the store all by myself!" Jou sounded as if he'd never been so insulted in his life. He felt this foreign feeling of rejection and indignation, something he did not recognize as anything he should have been experiencing given the situation.  
  
Seto gained that mischievous sparkle to his normally icy eyes, but remained silent as Jou led him over to the Children's Shoes Department.  
  
"So, what does Mokuba want? Anything in particular?"  
  
"I think he said something about 'high-top converse', but I honestly don't think he cares too much. He usually doesn't, otherwise I think he would have come here himself."  
  
"Alright then, what's his size?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"What? Why would you come to a shoe-store and not know the size of the person you're buying for. That's ridiculous."  
  
"I'm just kidding. Calm down. He's a five and a half."  
  
"Okay, how about these, then?" Jou pulled out a narrow box from a shelf in front of where he was kneeling down, and produced two black converse sneakers from within.  
  
Seto knelt down beside him to take a closer look at them, and instantly Jou caught the scent of vanilla from his deep, mahogany locks. It made his stomach do a flip and he gulped dramatically at their close proximity. The other boy chanced a glance at the blonde, and smirked a bit. "What's the matter, puppy?"  
  
"Nothing. Do you want the shoes or not?"  
  
"I guess they're fine. I'm sure Mokuba will like them. How much?"  
  
"Can't you read a price tag, dumb-ass?" Jou reached over to the shoe and read "sixty-five dollars" from the tag that hung limply from it, but Seto seemed to only stare at him the whole time, rather than at the footwear.  
  
"Come on up to the register," said Jou, (apparently not noticing at all), as he got up and headed over to the counter.  
  
Seto followed, shoe box in tow, and set it down on the linoleum surface of the check out desk. He reached deep into his pocket, but paused for a moment, looking deep into Jou's amber eyes. Jou squirmed under the intense gaze. "What is it?"  
  
"I think I left my money at home. I'll have to come back later. Are you going to be here all day?"  
  
"Yeah, until the store closes at 7 P.M."  
  
"Could you hold these for me until I come back?"  
  
"Sure," said Jou uncomfortably, but not really sure why.  
  
"Thanks, puppy. Later." He removed his hand from his pocket, and Jou swore he saw a bit of greenish paper peeking out from inside, with the number '100' etched on the corners. Seto flashed a smirk at him before casually walking out of the store, leaving him by himself to contemplate the recent events. Why would Seto lie about not having money? Could it be that he wanted to come back? And why the hell was he carrying around such big bills?  
  
Jou sighed and slumped down onto the floor, whispering out into the emptiness.  
  
"Okay, so maybe you're not an asshole."  
  
A/N: Okay, I know I said it would be longer, and it's not THAT much longer, but it is! By like, 200 words. Sorry! I just thought that this would be a cool way to end this chapter. Next one should be up by next week, maybe sooner if you please me with reviews and candy! Uhh... yeah about the whole money thing. I don't know how to convert yen and I didn't wanna make a huge ass of myself so instead I just put American money. I'm an ignorant citizen of the USA, what can you expect? And I'm not good with shoe sizes, so just pretend that they're accurate. I don't think anyone really cares though.  
  
R&R! PLEASE! 


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